BASS FISHING

Bass Fishing Overview

Bass fishing encompasses all of the fishing associated with the North American gamefish called the black

bass, and are part of the sunfish family. The most common black bass species caught are largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, and guadalupe. Bass fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry, and has been one of the fastest growing and changing sports in the last century. Bass fishing is the most common game fishing, and the top freshwater sport United States. Black bass are found in almost

any source of freshwater, including lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ponds, creeks, and streams. Largemouth and Smallmouth bass are the two types of fish that are most common in the bass-fishing world. The distinction between the two is that the back of the mouth of the former extends past the eye, whereas the latter only goes to the middle of the eye. Largemouth are typically a bigger fish, and tend to make shorter but stronger escape runs when hooked, while Smallmouth are considered to be the hardest fighting and most aggressive black bass. Black bass are able to smell as well as see their prey, and it is important to take this into account when fishing.

Bass Fishing Equipment

Lures: There are six types of fishing lures: spinners, plugs, jigs, spoons, flies, and soft plastics.
Spinner type lures consist of a shaft, split rings, a hook, a blade, a clevis, and a weight, and work in all types of water. The most important part of the spinner is the metal blade, which creates a flash as light bounces off it and attracts all types of fish.

Plugs are bait designed to imitate live bait, such as bugs, crayfish, frogs, and fish. These are very versatile and can be used for all types of fish in almost any condition.
Jigs include a few different types, such as jigging spoons, vibrating blades, and tail spins. The usual jig consist of a head attached to a trailer which is usually good for when fish are not necessarily hungry or hunting, because it can be reeled slowly allowing the fish to become curious.
Spoons are types of lures that behave erratically when being reeled, imitating a hurt or damaged bait fish. They are typically used for bass, muskies, pike, trout, and salmon.
Flies are used for fly fishing, and are made up of a hook and hair.
Soft plastics are also often used as an imitation of other live bait, and come in many colors and sizes. Reels: Reels come in four different kinds, including spinning, baitcasting, spincast, and fly reels. Rods consist of spinning, bait casting, and fly fishing types.

Getting Started Bass Fishing

When considering what to start off with, you should make sure to take some of the essentials. This includes two types of crank baits, one for shallow waters and one for deep. Vary the colors. Crank baits are very easy for beginners to use and are very successful in catching fish. Also have some spinner baits with gold blades that can be used in any condition. Spinner bait is a little bit harder to use, but also good for catching fish when utilized properly. In addition, bring some plastic worms. They need more patience than anything else and always remember to wait for the fish to run with the worm before striking, in order to allow the fish to take the hook in its mouth.

Bass Fishing Location

There are three locations to catch bass in: rivers, lakes, and streams. In rivers, bass tend to stay in lower current areas, such as the smaller creeks or backwaters. Also, bass will often stay along the edge of a creek mouth to catch bait as they swim by. This is a good place to try fishing them. In lakes, as said previously, bass are often found amongst cover. They often spawn in the fringes of open pockets in this cover, such as in a clump of weeds. In addition, they are often found near deep holes or steep drop-offs, and the clearer the water, the deeper they go. In ponds, bass fishing is usually best in the spring, and usually can be fished a few weeks sooner in the spring than lakes. Again, stealth is important in pond fishing.